Roll-paper holder and cutter



(No Model.) H. HUBBELL.

EOLL PAPER HOLDER AND CUTTBR.

Patented Apr. 1, '1890.

r No. 424,?88

W f M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY HUBBELL, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

ROLL-PAPER HOLDER AND CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,'788, dated April 1, 1890.

Application filed August 5, 1889. Serial No. 319,780. (No model.)

To all whom it may concrn:

Be it known that I, HARVEY HUBBELL, a citizen of the United States, resi ding at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roll-Paper Holders and Cutters; and I do hereby deelare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description. of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates tothe class of paperholders used in stores to hold rolls of wrapping-paper, and also in Water-closets when it is desired to use paper formed in -continuous rolls without perforations, a cutter being required to sever pieces as required from the roll, and the parts being so organized as to leave the end of the paper projecting from the fiXture in such a position that it may be readily grasped to draw another piece from the roll, the object of my invention being to simplify and improve the Construction so that there will be no reasonable probability of the device getting out of order, and, furthernore, to greatly improve its operation in use, the device being so organized, first, that when suffieient paper has been drawn from the roll a brake may be applied to the roll itself to prevent further rotation thereof to unwind the paper, and, secondly, that the instant the piece of paper has been severed froni the roll by the action of the cutter the parts will as sume such a position that the brake action is removed and the edge of the cutter is guarded, thereby obviating the danger of the hand of the operator being lacerated by the cutter in taking hold of the projeoting end of the paper.

lVith these ends in View I have devised the novel Construction of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, numbers being used to indicate the several paris.

Figure l is a perspeotive of my novel paper holder in operative position, showing a roll of paper therein, the end of the roll, however, being omitted for the sake of clearness; Fig. 2, a crosssection thereof, showing the end of the paper extending upward above the fo1- lower in position to be grasped by the operator, the follower being' at its normal position and the cutter in its retracted or guarded position; Fig. 3, a detail View illustrating the operation of the cutter as a brake and in severing a piece of paper from the roll; Fig. 4, a perspective illustrating a slight change in the arrangement of the cutter; and Fig. 5 is a similar View illustrating a modified form of cutter.

l denotes frame-work, which may be of any ordinary or preferred eonstruction-as, for example, a base-board, top piece, and side pieces, as shown in the drawings. It is of course understood that paper to be used in this class of holders is wound in rolls, being' usually wound upon a roll of wood or heavy pasteboard, the ends of said roll extending outward from the ends of the roll of paper. Sometimes, however, the winding-rolls are left fiush with the ends of the roll of paper, and suitable trunnions are inserted therein to support the Weight of the roll of paper.

2 denotes the roll of paper, and 3 suitable supports or trunnions projecting from the ends thereof. These trunnions in use rest in suitable bearings i in the side pieces of the frame-work. Upon the inncr side of each of the side pieces is a rib or spline 5, and G is a tilting follower having` notches 7 at its ends adapted to engage said ribs, respectively. If preferred, slots may be forned in the side pieces and lugs or projections upon the ends of the follower adapted to engage said slots. That, being a common Construction, is not deened to require illustration. The follower is made of any suitable material, as of metal or Wood, and of suitable shape to correspond with the framework. In use it rests upon the roll of paper, and is provided with a slot 8 forward of the pivotal points, through which the end of the paper passes, so as to be at all times Conveniently in reach at the front of the holder, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. In my preferred form-*that is, the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3-I ordinarily uir dercut the forward edge of the follower, as at 0.

10 denotes the movablc cutter, which in this form is secure-d to the forward edge of the follower by screws 13, passing through slots 12 in the cutter. The screws are preferably left loose enough to permit the cutter to drop down of its own weight, so that when IOO the follower is at its normal position, as in Figs. 1 and 2, the edge of the cutter will drop below the top of the follower and be supported by the en gagement of the screws with the upperends of theslots. This lezwesthecuttingedge, which is preferably serrated, as shown, thoroughly guarded, and renders it practically i'npossible for the operator to injure' his hand-in use, thereby obviating a serious objection to numerous devices of this class as heretofore placed upon the market. The rear end of the follower is provided with suitable counter-weights 11, which retain it in a horizontal position when not in use, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2, thereby insuring that the cutter-shall drop' to its normal position the instant the cutting operation is finished.

The operation in use is as follows: hen it is desired to place a roll of paper in the frame-work, the follower is raised and the supports at the ends of the roll are placed in the bearings. The end of the paper is then passed upward through slot 8 and the follower allowed to rest on the top of the roll, as in Fig. 2. XVh en the operator desires to take a piece of paper froni the roll, he simply draws the end forward without downward pressure upon the forward portion of the follower. Having drawn off the required amount of paper, the operator draws down the end of the paper which he holds, as in Fig. 3. This tilts the follower and presses the back of the cutter against the roll, as in Fig. 3, exposing the cuttng-edge and causing the back of the cutter to act as a brake and stop the paper from unwinding. A slight pull upon the end of the paper held by the operator while the cutter is in this position severs it from the roll. When the piece is severed,the counterweights cause the follower to tilt backward again and assume its norm l-that is, a horizontal-position, the cutter instantly dropping by its own weight to the guarded position, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2. It will 'be seen that as the front end of the follower swings upward to its normal positionit throws the end of the roll of paper upward, leaving it in the position indicated in Fig. 2, so that it may be readily grasped by the operator when another piece of paper is required. It will of course be apparent that, if preferred, the cutter may be 'placed at the raised position, as in Fig. 3, and locked there by tightening up screws 13, the back of the cutter se'rving as a brake, as before. If preferred, the forward under edge of the follower itself may be caused to act as a brake.

In the form shown in Fig. t the end of paper, instead of resting upon the follower, as in the other form, rests upon a swinging rod 14. The ends of the rod are bent downward at the sides of the follower and given a turn to form eyes 15,' the ends of the rod then passingloosely through openings lb` in the cutter. The swinging rod is held in position by screws 17, passing through the eyes and engaging the follower. The operation of this form in use is substantially the same as' the other. In drawing paper from the roll it passes over the rod, and when the end of the piece is drawn downward to sever it from the roll the rod is swung downward and inward, which raises the ends and carries the cutter upward.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 5 the cutter is curved, as shown, and is provided at its ends with trunnions engaging lugs 18 at the forward end of the follower. In this form the weight of the lower portion of the cutter acts to swing the upper end inward against the follower when in its normal position. In

its operative position-that is, in severing a piece of paper from the rollthe lower end of the cutter is pressed against the roll, causing it to act as 'a brake andswinging the cutting-edge outward into operative position.

In all the forms ribs 5 incline backward, as shown, so that as the roll decreases in size the position of the cutterrelatively tlrereto does not change materially. In practice, whether the roll be large or small, the forward edge of the follower is sure to come in contact therewith to throw the cutter into operative position when it is desired to sever a piece of paper.

Having thus described my invention, I clai1n-- 1. A roll-paper holder and cutter consisting of frame-work adapted to support a roll of paper, and a tilting follower which rests upon the top of the roll, and is provided with a slot, through which the paper passes, and at its forward edge with a sliding cutter, which is thrown into position by the roll when the end of paper is drawn down;

2. In combination, suitable frame-work having side pieces adapted to support a roll of v paper, and on the inner side thereof ribs 5,

inclinin g downward and backward, a follower having a slot, through which the end of the paper passes, and at its forward end a cutter, said follower being adapted to rest on the roll and to follow the ribs downward and backward as the roll diminishes, so as to insure the engagement of the cutter with the roll when the end of paper is drawn downi ward.

3. In a roll-paper holder and cutter, a follower having a slot, through which the end of the paper passes, and at its forward edge a sliding cutter, the edge of which lies below" the surface of the follower in its normal position, and is raised into operative position by engagement with the roll when the end of paper is drawn downward.

4. In combination, frame-work adapted to support a roll of paper, and a follower adapted t-o rest upon the roll in use, said follower being counterweighted at its rear end -to hold it in a horizontal position, and having at its forward end a cutter adapted to drop by its own weight out of operative position when the follower is in its normal position, and which, when the forward edge of said fo1- IOZ) IIO

lower is t-ilted downward against the roll of forced into operative position to sever paper paper, is thrown into operative position to from the roll, the back thereof serving as a sever the paper from the roll. brake to stop further unwndng of the roll. 5. In a roll-paper holder and cutter, suit- In testimony whereof I affix my signature 5 able framework, in combnation with a folin presence of two witnesses.

lower adapted to slide in said iframe-Work,

and a sliding outter at the forward end there- HARVEY HUBBELL. of, which drops by its own Weight ont of opfitnessesz erat ive position when not in use, and which, A. M. VVOOSTER,

o When said foilower is tiited downward, is ARLEY I. MUNSON. 

